Republicans on Rape

Discussion in 'Politics' started by Tiassa, Jun 10, 2011.

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What just happened?

Poll closed Nov 6, 2012.
  1. I don't know, did they really just say those things?

    16.7%
  2. It's the gotcha politics of the lamestream media conspiring against Republicans again.

    50.0%
  3. They're Republicans. What do you expect?

    16.7%
  4. Other (???)

    16.7%
  1. Tiassa Let us not launch the boat ... Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    37,884
    The Outer Boundary

    A Massachusetts Republican has created something of a stir after making controversial remarks about immigration policy:

    Mr. Fattman dismissed concerns of some law enforcement officials — cited by the governor — who said using local police to enforce immigration laws could discourage reporting of crime by victims who are illegal immigrants.

    Asked if he would be concerned that a woman without legal immigration status was raped and beaten as she walked down the street might be afraid to report the crime to police, Mr. Fattman said he was not worried about those implications.

    "My thought is that if someone is here illegally, they should be afraid to come forward," Mr. Fattman said. "If you do it the right way, you don't have to be concerned about these things," he said referring to obtaining legal immigration status.


    (Monahan)

    Marie Diamond of ThinkProgress calls the remarks "incendiary", and suggests:

    According to Fattman, deporting undocumented immigrants who have not committed a crime is more important than deterring violent crime or helping rape victims. "Innocent until proven guilty" isn't the only principle he doesn't think should apply to illegal immigrants — apparently basic human decency is only a luxury American citizens should enjoy. Fattman is such a radical that he believes American-born children of illegal immigrants should be deported with their parents, which would be in direct violation of the 14th Amendment.

    Dan Savage is even more direct, titling his blog entry, "GOP State Rep: Let's Legalize Rape For Guys Who Are Careful To Rape Illegals".

    Tim Murphy of Mother Jones went straight to the source:

    The first thing he makes clear is that, despite what that quote might seem to imply, he doesn't think undocumented women should keep quiet if they've been assaulted. "Of course anybody who was raped and molested and injured in any way should report it regardless of their status," he explained. "What I did say is that the Secure Communities program does not address that."

    According to Fattman, the Telegram quote ignores some key context: "If someone got into a car accident, it's obviously a tragic event. But if they're drunk and they crash, it's a crime," he explained. "If that person was drunk and survived the accident they would be afraid to come forward. I think if someone is here illegally they should be afraid to come forward because they should be afraid to be deported."

    I asked him he thought that analogy really held weight. After all, if you drink and crash a car, that's your fault; if you're undocumented and get beaten up or raped, it's absolutely not.

    "But if you weren't here, the crime wouldn't happen," Fattman says, reitterating that by virtue of being in the country without the requisite paperwork, undocumented residents are commiting a crime. And then he switches gears: "Like I said, I'm a human being and to have anything negative happen to anybody, I empathize with them and sypmathize with them. It's terrible and they should come forward."

    And if they do come forward, should they be arrested? Aside from the racial profiling aspect, the central concern immigration advocates have with Secure Communities is that the threat of deportation discourages undocumented residents from reporting crimes and, more generally, leaves them open to exploitation.

    "I think it's up to the discretion of the police. I have a lot of friends who are police officers and I have a lot of police officers in my district and I trust their discretion. I think there are some times and situations where it doesn't really matter what their status is, what your creed is, what your age is, it matters what happened."

    "You gotta wonder," writes Savage, "just how big the GOP's gender gap is going to be in 2012."

    And perhaps that might seem a leap, but Fattman's controversial remarks come less than a month after a Kansas Republican argued, in defense of an anti-abortion bill, that rape was like automotive trouble, and women just need to plan ahead—"I have a spare tire on my car," said Rep. Pete DeGraaf, a state legislator from Mulvane.

    What am I missing?
    ____________________

    Notes:

    Monahan, John J. "Immigrant checks urged". Worcester Telegram & Gazette. June 8, 2011. Telegram.com. June 10, 2011. http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110608/NEWS/106089913/1116

    Diamond, Marie. "Massachusetts Republican: Undocumented Immigrant Rape Victims 'Should Be Afraid To Come Forward'". ThinkProgress. June 9, 2011. ThingProgress.org. June 10, 2011. http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/06/09/240597/massachusetts-gop-immigrant-rape/

    Savage, Dan. "GOP State Rep: Let's Legalize Rape For Guys Who Are Careful To Rape Illegals". Slog. June 9, 2011. Slog.TheStranger.com. June 10, 2011. http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/ar...ape-for-guys-who-are-careful-to-rape-illegals

    Murphy, Tim. "Mass. GOPer: Undocumented Women Should Live in Fear". Mother Jones. June 9, 2011. MotherJones.com. June 10, 2011. http://motherjones.com/mojo/2011/06/mass-state-rep-ryan-fattman-undocumented-women-should-live-fear

    Associated Press. "Kansas backs bill restricting abortion coverage". The McPherson Sentinel. May 13, 2011. McPhersonSentinel.com. June 10, 2011. http://www.mcphersonsentinel.com/newsnow/x1058165813/Kansas-backs-bill-restricting-abortion-coverage
     
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  3. Pinwheel Banned Banned

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    2,424
    Are these people for real?
     
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  5. adoucette Caca Occurs Valued Senior Member

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    7,829
    You mean the reporters who botched the story?
     
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  7. quadraphonics Bloodthirsty Barbarian Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    9,391
    Yeah, between this and the previous push to redefine rape to exclude date rape, etc. they seem to be inexplicably committed to dieing on this hill...

    That the only women who vote GOP in the first place are those that have already been co-opted by the patriarchy and so ceded their agency on these questions.
     
  8. joepistole Deacon Blues Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    22,910
    Haven't most average GOP follwers, male or female, not already ceded their agency to the party leadership - think not, want not?
     
  9. Bells Staff Member

    Messages:
    24,270
    Oh.. dear God..

    Rape is about as unfunny as it gets. But he has managed to make me laugh..

    Because apparently, deporting an illegal immigrant is much more important than having some depraved rapist running around. The legal status of the victim is of lesser importance than the fact that there is a rapist out there.. Instead, if a victim of rape is an illegal immigrant, you can just tell them 'well if you weren't here illegally, this would not have happened to you'..

    It also shows a distinct lack of basic human decency. Because, as Ms Diamond points out, police will now be required to hand over anyone who comes forward, even if reporting a rape, to Federal Police officers for deportation, which would make an actual rape investigation virtually impossible.

    What this twat has done has been to tell would be rapists that they should be more selective in who their victims are...
     
  10. Mrs.Lucysnow Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    9,879
    Its what they would call a 'disincentive'. And lucky that for rapists too! They can just hunt down the illegal chicks.
     
  11. Tiassa Let us not launch the boat ... Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    37,884
    Tickets to the Table

    Am I an elitist, then, if I find this kind of rhetoric beyond the pale of decency? I mean, isn't there a point at which I ought to be able to say, No, I do not have to take that proposition seriously!
     
  12. Bells Staff Member

    Messages:
    24,270
    Oh no. It would make you normal.

    It's his "But if you weren't here, the crime wouldn't happen" line that floored me.

    I mean, I guess it is one thing he can use to err discourage illegal immigration... 'We'll rape your women folk'.. But really? To go with that as an excuse? 'It wouldn't have happened if you weren't here'?

    It shows a general disregard for women in general. Like Santorum and ridiculous rant about how exceptions to abortion laws which would grant women access to abortions if their life and health were at risk were "phony".

    You cannot really be surprised really that Fattman has come out and said this about rape and illegal immigrants. It shows a continuing disdain for women in general.
     

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